Business Rates

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to review whether business rates should continue to be indexed to retail inflation.

Lord Sassoon: The Government will review the indexation of business rates once their fiscal consolidation plans have been implemented.

Economy

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they share the view expressed by the Governor of the Bank of England that the current financial situation in the United Kingdom represents "the most serious crisis we have seen at least since the 1930s, if not ever".

Lord Sassoon: While the Governor of the Bank of England's characterisation of the current financial situation is for him, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said in his Statement to the House of Commons on 10 October: "the epicentre of this crisis lies in the eurozone". He has also highlighted that "this is not a normal economic recovery" and "the challenges we face are more complex than those we faced at the beginning of the crisis, but the underlying cause is the same-excessive levels of debt".

Economy

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure compatibility between an economic policy aimed at perpetual growth and a decline in natural resources.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: As set out in Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy earlier this year, the Government are committed to moving to a sustainable, green economy. Growth is a necessary part of this to generate the investment, innovation, skills and entrepreneurship needed to transform our economy.
	The Government are working with businesses to address the environmental impacts of the natural resources they use, to protect the natural environment and ecosystems here and overseas, and to meet our climate change emission reduction targets. More detail on the Government's approach to the sustainable use of materials is set out in the recent review of waste policy in England. The natural environment White Paper sets out the Government's ambitions for the natural environment and proposes a number of commitments to ensure that natural resources are adequately preserved and valued as part of growing a green economy.

Energy: Carbon Capture and Storage

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions and meetings they have had with ScottishPower in the past three months regarding carbon capture and storage.

Lord Marland: Ministers and officials of the Department of Energy and Climate Change have held regular discussions with the ScottishPower consortium in the past three months to discuss carbon capture and storage and other energy issues.

Energy: Costs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to make the calculation of energy costs transparent to the consumer.

Lord Marland: Ofgem's retail market review proposals, published in March, aim to reduce tariff complexity, making bills easier to compare. I welcome these proposals and look forward to Ofgem's forthcoming consultation on its more detailed plans to simplify tariffs and boost competition.
	Details of Ofgem's proposals are available online at: http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/FactSheets/Documentsl/Simpler%20energy%20tariffs% 20107.pdf.

Energy: Gas

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term prospects for the cost and supply of gas to the United Kingdom; whether they consider Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan strategically important in this regard; when a Secretary of State last held bilateral discussions with these countries regarding gas; and whether, in the light of this issue and those discussions, the Prime Minister has plans to visit Baku, Astana and Ashgabat.

Lord Marland: DECC published it's fossil fuel price assumptions on 13 October, including projections for wholesale gas costs to the UK, which can be found on our website: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/analytic_projs/ff_prices/ffprices.aspx.
	Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan could both supply large amounts of gas to the EU in the next two decades. Kazakhstan has sizable gas deposits. However, its export strategy to the EU is focused on oil products.
	We hold regular discussions with these countries on energy issues at ministerial and senior official level as part of our ongoing bilateral dialogues. My honourable friend the Energy Minister visited Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in September and discussed gas issues, and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met the Kazakh Foreign Minister in July.
	Plans for official travel by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister are kept under review.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the responsibilities of chief scientists in government departments include monitoring and reporting to the Secretary of State on the technical and scientific standards of the work of their staff and that of external consultants employed by the departments.

Baroness Wilcox: The Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) role varies from department to department. The role includes quality assurance and independent challenge of the evidence base supporting scientific and engineering advice to Ministers. It is for individual departments to make appropriate arrangements to monitor and report on the technical and scientific standards of the work of their staff through appraisal and other mechanisms. Where the CSA is also head of the science and engineering profession in their department, they will have a role in overseeing the professional standards of the S&E staff.
	In some cases departmental CSAs also hold other roles, for example Departmental Director of Analysis. In these roles they may be directly responsible for, or contribute to, departmental monitoring and reporting on the technical and scientific standards of the work of the analytical staff and that of external consultants employed on analytical work by the departments.

Government: Ministerial Meetings

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last met the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities leadership; and what matters were discussed.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Secretary of State for Scotland last met the president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) on 27 June. They discussed a range of matters relevant to local authorities in Scotland, including the Government's welfare reform agenda. This was one of a regular series of meetings between the Secretary of State and COSLA, and the next meeting is due to take place soon.

Gypsies and Travellers

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made or are making to consult Gypsy, Roma and Traveller civil society in preparing their response to the European Commission's Communication on a European Union Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020.

Baroness Hanham: The European Commission's Communication on a European Union Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, published on 5 April, requires no response from the Government. However, the European Union Council on Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs subsequently adopted a set of conclusions on a European Union Framework for National Roma Strategies on 19 May. These conclusions provide latitude to member states to tailor their approaches to national needs by preparing, updating or developing sets of policy measures within broader social inclusion policies, as an alternative to producing national Roma inclusion strategies. As I indicated in the Answer I gave the noble Lord on 14 June (Official Report, col. WA 176-77), in England we are meeting our commitments from these council conclusions through the work of the Ministerial Working Group on Preventing and Tackling Inequalities Experienced by Gypsies and Travellers, chaired by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Gypsies and Travellers have been involved in deciding the priorities for the Working Group. We plan to publish a progress report later in the autumn.

Health: Cancer

Lord Evans of Watford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve survival rates for patients with ovarian cancer.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of United Kingdom survival rates for patients with ovarian cancer.

Earl Howe: On 12 January 2011, we published Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer. It shows how the Government's reforms will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with ovarian cancer. The strategy sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through the earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and radiotherapy. We will not be able to deliver on this ambition by focusing solely on the more common cancers, so the National Health Service will need to take action to improve survival rates for less common cancers such as ovarian cancer.
	To support earlier diagnosis of cancer, the Government have committed over £450 million over the next four years. This money will be used to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer; fund increased general practitioner access to diagnostic tests; and pay for more testing and treatment in secondary care. One of the tests we are increasing access to is non-obstetric ultrasound to support the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
	The strategy also sets out our commitment to work with a number of charities focused on rarer cancers to assess what more can be done to encourage appropriate referrals to secondary care and to diagnose rarer cancers earlier. Officials have already met with a number of these charities, including an ovarian cancer charity, with the aim of identifying some of the barriers to early diagnosis and to discuss potential solutions. This will inform our future work in this area.
	According to the latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the one-year relative survival for ovarian cancer in England was 71.2 per cent in women diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 and followed up to 2009, compared to 70.3 per cent in women diagnosed between 2003 and 2007 and followed up to 2008. For women in England diagnosed and followed over the same two periods the five-year relative survival rate for ovarian cancer was 42.2 per cent compared to 40.8 per cent. The ONS does not publish cancer survival data for the United Kingdom.
	We are also leading the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership to understand why there are differences in survival rates across a range of counties, and ovarian cancer is one of the four cancers we are looking at as part of the study.

Health: Clinical Senates

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how clinical senates will reflect the views of allied health professionals, including podiatrists.

Earl Howe: The Government have strengthened duties on clinical commissioning groups in the Health and Social Care Bill to secure professional advice and ensure this advice is from a full range of health professionals, including podiatrists. Clinical commissioning groups will also receive expert support and advice from clinical senates on the design and delivery of services. Clinical senates will have a wide range of multidisciplinary input, including from allied health professionals such as podiatrists.

Health: Clinical Senates

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the composition of clinical senates; and whether places will be reserved for allied health practitioners such as podiatrists.

Earl Howe: Clinical senates will provide expert support and advice to commissioners on the design and delivery of services. They will bring together a range of experts from across different areas of health and social care to provide crosscutting advice on strategic commissioning decisions for broad geographical areas. The composition of clinical senates is being determined through a process of discussion and engagement, but they will have a wide range of multidisciplinary input, including from allied health professionals such as podiatrists.

Identity Documents

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what documents are acceptable for identity purposes for those who do not have either a passport or a driving licence.

Lord Henley: The Government do not issue documents for the purpose of supporting an identity claim. However, the GB driving licence, the UK passport and the biometric residence permit (issued by the UK Border Agency to non-EEA nationals) are commonly used as photographic identity in a variety of circumstances. For those people who do not have these documents there will be other ways of verifying identity.
	The Government do not centrally specify exactly how identity verification should be undertaken. This is for each organisation requiring someone to verify their identity to determine, taking into consideration the nature of their business and the level of identity assurance required.

Identity Documents

Baroness Golding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue revised guidance, in particular via the mandatory licensing code, to require licensees and those working at their premises to recognise valid identity cards, such as citizencards, that bear the proof of age standards scheme hologram.

Lord Henley: We committed to reviewing the mandatory code, also referred to as the mandatory licensing conditions, after it had been in place for 12 months to assess its impact on alcohol related disorder. This evaluation will commence shortly and we will consider age verification policy as part of this.

NHS: Referral Management Centres

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the recent Co-operation and Competition Panel report Review of the Operation of "Any Willing Provider" for the Provision of Routine Elective Care, how many referral management centres have been set up and are in operation; and what has been the cost involved.

Earl Howe: The department does not hold this information.

NHS: Referral Management Centres

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the recent Co-operation and Competition Panel report Review of the Operation of "Any Willing Provider" for the Provision of Routine Elective Care, what assessment they have made of the impact of referral management centres on patient choice and involvement, and on clinicians' professional autonomy; and whether they intend to encourage or discourage their future use.

Earl Howe: The department is currently considering the Co-operation and Competition Panel's recommendations, including those relating to referral management centres. The department will publish its response to the report shortly.

Parking Fines

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the rationale for liability for parking fines resting on the registered keeper of the vehicle whether or not they were present when the parking offence was committed; and liability for fines, under Section 87 of the Environment Protection Act 1990, for throwing litter from a vehicle on to public land.

Earl Attlee: The rationale for liability for civil parking penalty charges resting on the registered keeper is that it is not always possible for the enforcement authority to identify the driver of the vehicle who has contravened parking rules. Requiring the enforcement authority to identify the individual who parked the vehicle could make it impossible to enforce parking restrictions, especially if the registered keeper were to deny responsibility and refuse to provide details of the driver.
	While with a parking transgression use of the vehicle is central to contravention of the rules, the littering offence (as set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990) applies to the individual personally responsible in any circumstance wherever litter is dropped.

Police: Remuneration

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their expectation that the proposed £250 flat rate pay award will be made to all police staff earning less that £21,000 a year; and whether the figure of £21,000 refers to basic pay or to total earnings.

Lord Henley: The Government's policy is to freeze the pay of public sector workers for two years except for those earning £21,000 or less, who will receive an increase of a minimum of £250. We would expect this to apply to police staff, although police staff pay is determined by police authorities and is subject to the usual negotiating processes.
	We also expect the issue of whether the £21,000 threshold is based on basic pay or total earnings to be considered as part of these negotiations.